BHG's Knitting & Crochet Collection 2017

Magazine Cover:
Better Homes & Gardens
Your Knitting & Crochet Collection
For you, him and the kids
 
 

 I couldn't help myself.  This year's Better Homes & Gardens annual Knitting & Crochet special issue was on display so I grabbed a copy to see what was being promoted in the Australian yarncrafting scene.

Its release coincided with Wool Week Australia which was from 13–21 May 2017.  Last year, I didn't see the annual special issue until August. It makes more sense to release it in May to give people time to make their winter warmers before the cold truly sets in.  This is my assessment of this year's magazine.

Magazine Splurge

The latest batch of craft magazines arrived in my local newsagency
so I splurged!

Left to right: Better Homes & Gardens Your Knitting & Crochet Collection 2016, Interweave Crochet Summer 2016, Crochet Essentials No. 1.

This photograph (above) sums up my fortnight:

A little splurge on some magazines and finishing a rainbow scarf which you can see pinned to the blocking board. 

When is Exclusive Not Exclusive?

When is 'exclusive' not 'exclusive'?

When it is a classic pattern–that's when!

More Examples of Crochet Spider Stitch

Spider stitch features in this scarf.
(Made by Jodiebodie 2014.
Pattern: Diamond-Strike Scarf by Kristen Stolzfus)

Are you familiar with the phenomenon where you buy a new car and when you go driving, you suddenly start seeing lots of cars of the same model and make where previously you had never noticed them before?

I think that is what happened to me with spider stitches!

Double the Magazine Fun

I went to the newsagency to buy one magazine …

 … and came home with two!

BHG's Knitting & Crochet Collection

 

The Better Homes & Gardens' winter yarn crafting issue has hit the shops.

It comes with two acrylic crochet hooks 

(5 mm and 6.5 mm) and 

two pom pom makers (7.6 cm and 10 cm).

A Week in WIPs

A summary of my week in crochet.

My blog entries have been irregular lately due to 

'hatches, dispatches and bad health patches'! 

Thank you for your patience with the pause between posts.

Cardigan Swatches

In June, I began making tension squares* for a crocheted cardigan. You may recognise these swatches from Knitting & Crochet Blog Week (Conversations Between Workers) when they were living in my craft basket.

July is here—mid-winter—and the days are cold. I need to get started on that cardigan!

I tried some new ideas with these swatches and the results are documented in this post.

It's a Mark(er)!

What’s the difference between a footy player and a crocheter?

Sneak Peek: Take a SIP of colour - Scarves In Progress

This month I have been crocheting silk mohair scarves and I am in love with the colours.

Here's a sneak preview of the scarves I hope to have finished by the end of March.

Fashioning the Fab Four (Part 12): While My Guitar Gently …

… Warps?

The Fab Four guitars are so cute, right down to their little strings!

Obviously strings are very important on a guitar. These particular strings (right) had a major influence on the finished product.

Fashioning the Fab Four (Part 8): Tools of the Trade

All ‘musos’ need good ‘axes’ so while I was waiting for inspiration on the amigurumi Fab Four's hairstyles, I got started on the Fab Four Amigurumi Instruments.

Fashioning the Fab Four (Part 7): Marketing the Image

All successful music groups need to market their product. Finding a unique image helps them to stand out from the crowd.  My Amigurumi Fab Four certainly needed an image of their own. Faces and hair would be a good start!

Petal Pullover: In Print!

This project caused The Fab Four Amigurumi to be set aside for a time. Readers of Interweave Crochet magazine's Spring 2013 issue might know all about it!

(There's a clue in the preview's  'Departments & Features')

Beanie Marathon

This year I have embarked on a “Beanie Marathon”. 

Fab Four Designer Profile: Monica Rodriguez Fuertes

 

Monica Rodriguez Fuertes in her design studio

No sooner than I had posted the last blog entry about Fashioning the Fab Four, I received a lovely email from Monica Rodriguez Fuertes who is the designer of the Fab Four Amigurumi and many more "little friends". She was delighted to share a little bit about herself and her other projects.

Fashioning the Fab Four (Part 2): Fab Four Fine Print

Fab Four almost complete, at rehearsal

Most crochet and knitting patterns sold today are sold with the proviso that they are for personal use only; e.g.the purchaser of the pattern can make as many items as they like from it, but cannot re-sell or copy the pattern or its products and make a profit that otherwise would have gone to the designer.

The idea is that the creator of the pattern should reap the rewards for their hard work and intellectual property.

Fashioning The Fab Four (Part 1)

Do you like amigurumi? I have made many amigurumi and other little toys. I like them because they are quick, easy and cheerful. In 2012, these mirthful 'mop tops' captivated my crochet hooks and sparked my spirits but they were unlike any amigurumi I had ever done before.

Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2013! What did you do for New Year's Eve? Did you touch your crochet hooks or craft projects at all?

A Crochet Christmas!

Someone must have told everyone that I like to crochet!  This Christmas I received a number of thoughtful crochet-related gifts–a mix of reading material, yarn and equipment (clockwise from top left):